As much-loved favorite Sesame Street picked up the Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program, Executive Producer Brown Johnson was quick to cite how the show’s long-standing mission is now more important than ever. “Since 1969, when we started in the height of the civil rights movement,” she said, “Sesame Street has always been about helping kids be stronger, smarter and kinder, and today I think those values are even more important because of what’s going in the world today.”

With the HBO show picking up the gong for the episode Once Upon A Sesame Street Christmas, the educational, wholesome themes of the show clearly continue to be important and popular. “We really do work hard to include compassion and community,” Johnson added, “and build those skills in young audiences and hope they’ll be generation of peacemakers.”